Review: Wandavision – All-New Halloween Spooktacular! s01e06

After last week’s big surprise, things are definitely going a little awry in Wandavision episode six, ‘All-New Halloween Spooktacular!’, as the town gets a bit rough around the edges.  *Warning! Spoilers Ahead!*

As we hit the late 1990’s/Early 2000’s aesthetic of ‘Malcolm in the Middle’, there’s no doubt that this episode is testing the limits of both control and boundaries, as Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) finds that things seem to be slipping in both areas.  In the past few episodes, she has found small things that don’t seem quite right according to her plan and it has become unsettling.  While initially these have been small things, the massive jolt at the end of ‘On a Very Special Episode…’ in the shape of her twin brother Pietro (Evan Peters) really shook things up.  Obviously, he should be dead, and normally looks entirely different, but it’s the fact that he was unexpected that really shakes her.

This uncertainty continues to plague her through ‘All-New Halloween Spooktacular!’ as small things aren’t quite how she thinks they should be, or seem to be out of her control.  Pietro seems to be fully aware of what she’s up to, and talks to her like an equally autonomous person would.  This does raise questions as to who he really is.  Could he be a projection of her own psyche, or an outside force that also has some form of control over Westview?  There is an interesting discussion mid-episode where the pair discuss the sudden appearance of children and the moralities of what she is doing.  This could be her own mind checking up on her and trying to reassure herself that everything is ok.  Equally, there are some comments made between them that highlight that a lot of this isn’t normal, such as where their accents have gone.

There is much speculation about Pietro, with the leading theories being that he is either ‘Mephisto’, who has fought Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and Ghost Rider in the past, or potentially ‘Nightmare’, another Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider villain.  Either would be interesting and create a direct link to the upcoming ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ film that is due in 2022.  The likelihood is that Wanda will be in a more villain like role in that film, so another force that is pulling her strings somewhat would be a useful addition that could lead to her rehabilitation, or at least excuse her behaviour.

Outside of ‘The Hex’ there is a battle for control of a different kind as S.W.O.R.D. Director Hayward (Josh Stamberg) is determined to find any excuse to get rid of Monica (Teyonah Parris), Darcy (Kat Dennings), and Jimmy (Randall Park), as they are much more inclined to sympathise with Wanda, and question what is behind her actions.  Monica especially is convinced something else is afoot here, and that Wanda will be the solution, rather than an enemy to quash.  This puts the trio at odds with Hayward and he attempts to throw them out of the compound.  Instead, they escape and infiltrate a data centre, leading to the discovery of another agenda, and more Hayward secrets.  There’s more to find though, so Darcy stays to do some further digging while Monica and Jimmy leave to meet up with her mysterious Aerospace Engineer friend.  Reed Richards perhaps?

Aside from Wanda questioning herself in ‘All-New Halloween Spooktacular!’, Vision (Paul Bettany) is now fully sceptical and unsure of what is going on, so has decided to investigate for himself, away from the rest of the family stuck in the sitcom version of Halloween.  This leads him to venture further out from the centre of town, where everybody seems to have slowed to a snails pace or stopped altogether.  It very much suggests that Wanda’s control only stretches so far, or that she only bothers to animate people in the near vicinity, keeping the others in some kind of hellish stasis.

It’s at the very boundary of town that Vision sees Agnes (Kathryn Hahn), frozen at a stop sign in her car, talking incoherently.  When he gives her back her autonomy, she recognises him as an Avenger and asks for his help, even though Vision himself doesn’t seem to know what the Avengers are.  There are questions here as to whether Agnes is a pawn like the other residents or whether there is something more unusual going on with her.  She seems to be the only resident that has ventured out this far, and that could indicate that she isn’t what she appears to be, despite being dressed suitably for a ‘Halloween Spooktacular’.  While it would seem unlikely that there are numerous interlopers in Wanda’s land of make believe, it definitely adds to the mystery.

This is all just fuelling the determination within Vision to find out what is going on, and as he finds the external barrier to ‘The Hex’ he decides to try to push through.  This indicates to Hayward that he truly wants out, but sadly for Vision his attempts fail, with ‘The Hex’ ripping him apart at the seams and potentially killing him for a second time.  Luckily for him, the twin’s powers have now manifested, and Billy (Julian Hilliard) can hear his father’s thoughts.  Scared of losing him again, Wanda increases the size of ‘The Hex’ to include the whole area where Vision is, which envelops the S.W.O.R.D. compound, turning all the agents into players in her reality except Hayward and a couple of aides.

As a proxy for the audience, Vision is certainly asking a lot of questions, and satisfyingly we are actually getting answers, or at least good clues.  Anything that is unclear or left hanging is pleasingly debatable and open to interpretation.  The worst culprits of leaving too much unanswered, I’m looking at you ‘Lost’, would have refused to give any inkling or suggestions, but here there is a nice balance.  The only quibbles would be that Monica hasn’t mentioned who her contact is, and Jimmy hasn’t mentioned the witness he was due to visit.  With all that is going on, you would have thought he would bring it up, as it could be pertinent.

There’s only three episodes left in this season after ‘All-New Halloween Spooktacular!’, so quite how this is going to play out leading to the Doctor Strange film will be interesting.  Especially considering there will be a year between the end of Wandavision and the release of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’.  So far they’ve managed to balance all the factors extremely well, including lots of references to the original comics and the MCU, so expectations are that this will end with a flourish.  We can’t wait!